Spark-gap apparatus.



W. PEUKERT. SPARK GAP APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 14, 1909.

955,101 Patented A ia 12,1910.

Witnesses. f! X: aim

"To all whom it may concern.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

winnntn r nuxnnr, or BRUNSWICK, annnamr.

sranx-ear APPARATUS.

Be it known that I,.Wn.n:'u M PnUKnRT, a subject of the German Emperor, and firesident of Brunswick, Germany, have invented .a certain new and useful Improvement in SparlcGap Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing electrical oscillations of high frequency.-

An imperfect contact between two conductors or terminals, which are separated by a thin layer-or film of a bad conducting sub stance, such as oil, air, gas, steam, alcohol,

glycerin, or the like has a resistance, which .is subjected to alterations by electrical tension in such a way that for small tensions the resistance isextremely high, and when. the tension increases the resistance decreases.

This decrease will continue until finally the resistance attains a, minimum, when the discharge takes place in the shape of a spark. The consequence .of this peculiarity of an imperfect contact is that ajdischarge cannot take place permanently over the ga even if a properly chosen tension be app ied overcoils for loading a condenser-circuit provided with self-inducreslstanoes and .chokin tion and arranged parallel to the sparking gap, nor is it possible until the condenserpotential has increased oscillatory to higher values to attain the igniting tens10n,chara teristic to-the gap, to pierce the di-electric layen; ,By the creationof the spark the condenser discharges oscillatory and quicker than the electric energy which is retarded by the choking coil, having a high self-induction, for as soon as the oscillation is discharged the contact is again in the state of insulation, the condenser is again loaded, and the operation repeated with a frequency dependent on the constants of the loading circuit.

When the spark starts repeatedly from the same. spot, the gapfmay gradually be come closed and form a perfect contact, as detached particles of metal will unite into a conducting bridge between the terminals.

' In order to reestablish the original state of the gap a manipulation is necessary, similar as isemployed. to decohere the cohercr, to reestablish itsnormal; condition. This manipulation. maybe the movement of one or both conductors or terminals relatively to one another or by giving motion to the badly I e v Specification of Letters latent. Patented A1 12, 19111 3 Application filed May 14, 1909.

.Serial No. 496,055.

- conducting substance or by making use simultaneously of both motions.

Inthe drawings accompanying and form ing part of this a PMC3111011, Figure 1 is a side elevation part y :in section of an ap aratus constructed according to this inventlon and Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a mode, of arranging this apparatus in an. electric circuit.

The apparatus shown in'Fig. 1 comprises a rotatable shaft a suitably journnled in any convenient manner and driven by an electric motor, not shown. On this sha a series of disks 6 .of a suitablemetal are fixed by the aid of an insulating ring 0,.in such manner that the disks rotate in unison'with the shaft a. A number of bands or strips f are attached to the base 01 next to the disks, but out of direct contact with the latter, contact being prevented by a layer of oil or the like. The oil is fed from pi es 9 arranged over each gap and leading f om suitable oil reservoirs e on the frame 0. down from the pipes g closes the aps between the strips if and the disks 1) thus producmg an imper ect conducting pat-h.

. into a circuit h, in which there is a battery 2', a choking coil k and a regulating resistance m, and in parallel to the strips 7 there is a shunt circuit made oscillatory by a capacity such as a condenser n and a self induction. By'the action of the battery and the spark gapv device the condenser is loaded, until it is discharged oscillatory through the spark conducting film being continuously renewed the original state is constantly reestablished and a permanent activity ofthe spark gap is obtained, so that within the condenser circuit oscillations are obtained having a permanent constant ener The physical prop' erties of such a spar gap give the oscillations a very high damping. The number of. periods of these oscillations depends on the values of the, capacity of the self-induction and of the resistance in the oscillation. circuit. The number of spark gaps, to which the oscillation circuit may be arranged parallel, ma; vaiy at will to produce any desired oscillatory energy. They may be arranged'in series or parallel or combined series and parallel. In constructing or in'casing the spark gap device provisions may-be made in any desired manner to provide for gap. The disks 6 being rotated and the non The oil dropping i e As shown in Fig.2 the springs are brought Wearandtear, heating, regulation, and also for renewing the di-eleetrle layer, for conducting the current and so'on.

another that the gap only has an extremely small width, a thin layer of a di-electric liquid between the terminals of the gap, means to produce a relative movement between the di-electrical substance and one of the terminals of the ap, and an oscillatory shunt circuit arrangeg parallel to the gap.

2. A spark gap apparatus com risin a stationary terminal, an extende vertlcal metallic terminal in close proximity thereto, means for rotating the latter'terminal and means to supply by gravity a di-electric liquid to the rotating terminal and gap.

;3. A spark gap apparatus comprising a pair of stationary terminals, avertical metallic disk in close proximity to said terminals, means to rotate the disk between the terminals, and means to supply by gravity a di-electric liquid-on each vertical face of the disk and the gaps formed between it and the terminals.

WILHELM PEUKERT. Witnesses:

PAUL Kocn, RUDOLF W ILKINB. 

